Lying comfortably with aches: positions to try, and the questions to ask first
If aches make lying down uncomfortable, ask a clinician first, then try lying on your side with a long pillow between your knees.
Updated .
In short: Ask a clinician first. Then try side lying with a pillow between your knees; how you turn and your bed size decide the shape.
This page describes positions and the questions to ask. It does not diagnose or treat.
The fit
| What to look for | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Straight or C shape if you stay on one side. U shape if you turn from side to side. A U shape is typically about 30 x 60 in (body pillow size guide), which is half the width of a Queen (60×80″) (mattress size chart). If you lie on your back, use a smaller pillow under the knees. |
| Length | The most common rectangular body pillow is 20 by 54 inches, and some rectangular pillows can be as long as 72 inches (body pillow dimensions). If you are tall, look at the longer sizes. |
| Fill | For a firm feel, choose a fill that stays spread along the length. For a soft feel, choose a fill you can move back by hand. |
| Cover and washing | A removable cover that you wash on its own. If your machine is too small for the whole pillow, you may need a laundromat's industrial-sized machine (body pillow washing guide). |
| Where it goes in the bed | On your side: place a pillow between your knees. On your back: place a pillow under your knees (Columbia University sleeping with back pain). |
Lengths and fills come from published maker dimensions and the sources cited on this site. This site measured nothing and gives no medical advice.
Reading your answers back
You said aches make lying down hard. So the first step is a conversation and not a pillow. Columbia University's guide to sleeping with back pain says that when you sleep on your side, you can place a pillow between your knees. A physical therapy guide offers a body pillow between the knees and ankles as an option, which does the job in one piece.
The shape depends on movement at night. If you stay on one side, you only need support on that side; a straight or C shape covers it. If you turn through the night, a U shape supports you on both sides without being moved. Back lying is different. A long pillow has little to do there. The same Columbia guide suggests a pillow under the knees instead.
Height sets the length. The pillow should reach from shoulder to knee. If you chose the tallest height band, a standard 20 by 54 inch pillow (body pillow dimensions) stops short of your knee, so the longer sizes are worth the space.
Questions to ask a clinician first
Take the position question to a GP, physiotherapist or other clinician before you change how you sleep. Ask which side suits your pain. Ask whether a pillow between the knees helps or makes it worse. Ask whether lying on the back with the knees raised would be a better place to start.
Some signs call for a sooner visit. The NHS back pain page says to see a GP if it does not improve after resting or is worse at night. A pillow does not replace that visit.
If your situation changes
The size of the bed can override the shape. A U shape about 30 in wide takes up half of a 60 in queen (sources in the table above). On a twin, a full or a shared bed, a straight or C shape fits better, while room to spare lets you choose the shape on comfort alone. Feel comes next. It depends on the fill. A firm feel needs a fill that stays spread along the whole length. A soft feel needs a fill you can push back into place.
Washing is the last thing to check. On most long pillows, you wash only the cover. If you want to wash the whole pillow at home, read the care label before you choose a size. One cleaning guide suggests hand-washing and spot-cleaning when a body pillow is too large for the washing machine.
Trying the fit in your own bed
Lie in your usual position and have someone measure from your shoulder to your knee, then compare that with the length on the label. Then check the width the shape needs against the space beside you. If you share the bed, measure with both of you lying down.
For more on back pain and side sleeping, see What does a body pillow change about how your back rests overnight? and How does a body pillow keep a side sleeper's hips and shoulders in line?. For a choice between shapes, read How does a U-shaped body pillow differ from a long straight one?
Other body pillow guides
- What does a body pillow change about how your back rests overnight?
- How does a body pillow keep a side sleeper's hips and shoulders in line?
- How does a U-shaped body pillow differ from a long straight one?
Back to which shape and length
Sources
Gathered here, the outside pages this body pillow guide quotes, each beside the part of the guide that needed it.
- body pillow size guide (pillowsplace.com), needed in “The fit”.
- mattress size chart (amerisleep.com), needed in “The fit”.
- body pillow dimensions (zomasleep.com), needed in “The fit”; “Reading your answers back”.
- body pillow washing guide (amerisleep.com), needed in “The fit”.
- Columbia University sleeping with back pain (columbiadoctors.org), needed in “The fit”; “Reading your answers back”.
- A physical therapy guide (ivyrehab.com), needed in “Reading your answers back”.
- NHS back pain page (nhs.uk), needed in “Questions to ask a clinician first”.
- One cleaning guide (mattressclarity.com), needed in “If your situation changes”.